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High blood pressure (hypertension) affects one out of three adults in the United States and plays a role in one inch every seven deaths and up to 50 % of all cardiovascular disease-related deaths in the United States. Approximately 50 million Americans are currently taking medication to keep their blood pressure under control.
However, a study published within the Journal from the Ama (JAMA) recommends new guidelines for who ought to be taking medication for top blood pressure level. The report offers nine strategies for managing hypertension. The very best recommendation is the fact that patients 60 years of age or older don’t necessarily need medication for blood pressure level if their systolic blood pressure level (the “top” number) is equal to or under 150. This can be a change from the prior recommendation, which had been to consider medication if the number was more than 140. Physicians typically medication to make sure patients maintain blood pressures below 140.
The previous guidelines were released over a decade ago, and endorsed through the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) based on an editorial designed in JAMA. The brand new recommendations “were ultimately not sanctioned by the NHLBI. The panel’s report is now published in JAMA like a stand-alone document, and it remains unclear whether, or when, or by whom another consensus national hypertension guideline will again be formulated.”
“High blood pressure, when left uncontrolled, can increase a patient’s risk of cardiac arrest, stroke along with other serious vascular diseases,” says Dr. Allison Benthal, an interior Medicine Physician with Advocate Medical Group. “There are other factors, for example smoking, obesity and loss of focus which are risks for high blood pressure. But additionally hypertension includes a genetic component, so some patients may be at and the higher chances just because from the genes they’ve inherited.”
Dr. Benthal recommends lifestyle changes like exercise and eating healthily as the first line of defense against cardiovascular disease. In addition, Dr. Benthal states, “Eat foods lower in sodium; should you smoke, quit; measure and record your blood pressure level readings between doctor’s visits; and keep your personal doctor informed associated with a blood pressure readings you might take at home.”
